New lights, new world-class race event… what more from Sepang Circuit?

By ahmadzulizwan, 01 August 2018
1

Now we know a bit more of Sepang International Circuit’s plans in this post-F1 era – first it was the Driver Development Programme (which involves more than just drivers/riders) and then yesterday we learned that the FIM Endurance World Championship will come to Sepang in the 2019-2020 season. Also, the track is now entirely lighted to a standard high enough to host national championship series. Is there anything else in store?

SIC CEO, Dato’ Razlan Razali told us during a much earlier interview that another big project that’s now in the pipeline is a driving experience facility. It would be something that a car or tyre manufacturer would have in order to evaluate their products in a controlled and closed environment. However, the facility at Sepang will be open for rental; we are told that apparently some car companies were already asking for it to be exclusive for their use, although this is not in SIC’s plan.

2

The project includes a 1.9 kilometres track, a skid pad, friction plate, and automatic sprinkler system (to simulate the wet Malaysian weather, for instance). It is designed by Apex Circuit Design from the UK, incidentally the same outfit which designed the magnificent-but-short-lived racing circuit for KL City Grand Prix, on top of other world class permanent and street circuits, plus rallycross tracks across the globe. According to Dato’ Razlan the upcoming SIC driving experience centre is benchmarked against the current facility operated by Porsche at the Silverstone Circuit, UK. We can expect the project to be complete by the third quarter of 2019.

Dato' Razlan Razali, Sepang CEO

It’s not just for high-performance driving, too, if the CEO has it his way. “I want it to be part of the process in getting your license…” Well, we’re sure he does not mean it in a legislation angle but as an important and available venue where one can feel high-stress conditions one might face during driving. He recalls the time when being a passenger in a car driven by his daughter who had just received her license. “We were in an emergency situation (and) she panicked, I panicked, but luckily nothing happened.”

“I think first time license holders need to go through these kinds of simulations and advanced safety driving… we don’t have that, yet.”

The location of this driving experience facility includes where the current motocross circuit is, adjacent to the go-kart track.

Speaking of which, the go-kart facility is also part of the Sepang circuit upgrade. It will be closed by November this year in order for the work to proceed. This will happen in tandem with the development of the driving centre.